Navigation apparatus

ABSTRACT

A navigation apparatus includes notification means for notifying an advance direction at a branching point in a route guiding, storage means for storing a plurality of moving methods and notification methods corresponding to the respective moving methods, input means for selecting one of the plurality of moving methods stored in the storage means, and control means for causing the notification means to perform notification by the notification method corresponding to the moving method selected by the input means. Thus, it is possible to easily set a route guiding such as a distance to the branching point where guiding is started for each of the moving methods and a sound volume.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus that guidesalong a travel route.

BACKGROUND ART

Some navigation apparatuses use map matching (see Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. H7-63570) whereby the current location isidentified by finding the detected current position in a map showing theroads located within the travelable range for the purpose of calculatingand displaying a planned travel route from the current location to thedestination and, when the distance from the current location to the nextbranch point becomes equal to a predetermine distance, notifying theuser of the distance thereto and the direction in which to travel withvoice.

Nowadays, commercially available are not only navigation apparatusesdedicated to car-mounted use but also portable navigation apparatusesthat can also be used by walkers. These navigation apparatuses, whenmounted on a car, can perform map matching to guide along a travelroute. However, when they are used by a walker, since the travelingspeed is low relative to the precision of the GPS, it is difficult tocalculate the traveling direction, and this makes it impossible toperform map matching correctly. To overcome this inconvenience, i.e., topermit map matching only when a navigation apparatus is mounted on a carand not when used by a walker, the applicant of the present inventiononce disclosed, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-18960,a navigation apparatus wherein whether an external power source or aninternal power source is used is detected so that, when an externalpower source is used, map matching is permitted and, when an internalpower source is used, map matching is not permitted.

However, according to the method disclosed in Japanese PatentApplication Laid-Open No. 2000-18960 mentioned above, in a case wherethe navigation apparatus needs to be frequently mounted on anddismounted from a car, as in a case where parcels are delivered toaddressees in a town, in which case the deliveryman needs, repeatedlyfor each destination, to travel by car to a nearby parking lot and thenwalk on foot therefrom to the destination, the navigation apparatusneeds to be connected to and disconnected from an external power sourceevery time it is mounted on and dismounted from the car.

Moreover, in a case where the mode of traveling is changed, as fromtraveling by car to traveling on foot, or from traveling by four-wheeledcar to traveling by motor bicycle, it is necessary to change thesettings of the sound volume level, the distance to the next branchpoint at which to give a guidance, and the like one by one to best suitthe given mode of traveling every time the mode of traveling is changed.This makes using the navigation apparatus troublesome.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, according to one aspect ofthe present invention, a navigation apparatus is provided with:notifying means for notifying, by one of a plurality of notifyingmethods, of the direction in which to travel at a branch point asguidance along a travel route; storing means for storing, ascorresponding respectively to the plurality of notifying methods, aplurality of modes of traveling in which the navigation apparatus cantravel; inputting means for selecting one from the plurality of modes oftraveling stored by the storing means; and controlling means forcontrolling the notifying means to notify by the notifying methodcorresponding to the selected mode of traveling.

Here, preferably, the inputting means selects from, as the plurality ofmodes of traveling, at least two of the following modes of traveling:traveling by car, by motor bicycle, by bicycle, and on foot.

Moreover, preferably, the plurality of notifying methods differ from oneanother in the distance to the branch point at which notification isstarted.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a navigationapparatus is provided with: outputting means for outputting music andsounds; storing means for storing a plurality of modes of traveling anda plurality of sound volume levels corresponding respectively thereto;inputting means for selecting one from the plurality of modes oftraveling stored by the storing means; and sound volume controllingmeans for controlling the outputting means to operate with the soundvolume level corresponding to the mode of traveling selected by theinputting means.

Here, preferably, there is additionally provided transmitting means fortransmitting the mode of traveling selected by the inputting means to aVICS for the purpose of registering the vehicle type.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a navigationapparatus is provided with: map information storing means for storingmap information; and controlling means for performing map matching tofind the current position in the roads stored by the map informationstoring means.

Here, the controlling means performs map matching when the mode oftraveling selected by inputting means for selecting from a plurality ofmodes of traveling is traveling by car or by motor bicycle, and does notperform map matching when the mode of traveling selected by theinputting means is traveling by bicycle or on foot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a principalportion of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the settings for different modes oftraveling in the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation performed when the settingsfor different modes of traveling are changed in the embodiment of theinvention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is block diagram showing theconfiguration of a principal portion of an embodiment of the invention.Reference numeral (1) represents a control circuit, which operatesaccording to a program stored in a ROM (2) to control the apparatus as awhole.

Reference numeral (3) represents GPS (Global Positioning System)position detecting means, which receives radio waves from GPS satellitesto detect the current position and then outputs the detected data to thecontrol circuit (1). Reference numeral (4) represents map reproducingmeans, which reads out map information from a CD-ROM having mapinformation written thereto and then outputs it to the control circuit(1). Reference numeral (5) represents a display section employing aliquid crystal display. Reference numeral (6) represents inputtingmeans, which the user uses to enter a mode of traveling. The mode oftraveling entered here can be selected from traveling by specialvehicle, by large-sized car, by medium-sized car, by small-sized car, bymotor bicycle, by bicycle, and on foot. Reference numeral (7) representsa speaker section for reproducing sounds. The control circuit (1)controls the speaker section (7) to give the user a piece of guidance,with voice, as to the direction in which to travel at a branch point.

Reference numeral (8) represents a RAM, in which is stored the dataneeded for the operation of the control circuit (1). This data includes,for example, the settings for different modes of traveling with respectto the distance to the branch point at which to start giving guidance,the sound volume level, whether or not to perform map matching, etc.,and also the locations of the starting, destination, and midway pointson the basis of which to plan a travel route.

Reference numeral (9) represents a transmission section, which transmitsthe mode of traveling selected by the inputting means (6) to theprovider of the VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System)service. The VICS service is a service provided by the incorporatedfoundation for the Vehicle Information and Communication System. In thissystem, once the type of vehicle fitted with the apparatus is reportedto the VICS system and is registered therein, the service provider cangrasp where the thus registered vehicle is traveling and thus canprovide it with detailed information on road and traffic condition.

Next, the basic operation of the present invention will be described.When a mode of traveling in which the apparatus travels is selected bythe inputting means (6), the control circuit (1) selects and stores,from the settings for different modes of traveling as shown in FIG. 2that are stored in the RAM (8) to be used to guide along a travel route,those which correspond to the selected mode of traveling. Based on theselected settings, the control circuit (1) transmits the mode oftraveling from the transmission section (9) to the VICS, andsimultaneously gives guidance of the travel route from the startinglocation to the destination location.

For example, in a case where traveling by medium-sized car is selectedas the mode of traveling, when the mode of traveling needs to betransmitted, it is reported as traveling by medium-sized car, andguidance is started with a sound volume level “5” when the distance to abranch point by way of which the travel route is guided becomes 2 km.Moreover, map matching is performed so that the current location isdisplayed while guidance is given along the travel route from thestarting location to the destination location. By contrast, in a casewhere traveling on foot is selected, the current and destinationlocations are displayed, but neither transmission of the mode oftraveling nor map matching is performed.

Here, the settings for different modes of traveling are storedbeforehand in the RAM (8) as shown in FIG. 2. It is, however, alsopossible to permit the user to freely change and register those settingsby the procedure described below and shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, first,in step S1, the list of the settings shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on thedisplay section (5). The user selects from the displayed list the itemthat he or she wants to change (step S2), and then enters the desiredvalue (step S3). When the user has changed all the items that he or shewants to change (“Y” in step S4), the new settings are registered in theRAM (8) (step S5).

The present invention is applicable not only to navigation systems thatuse voice for notification, but also to those which only visually notifyof the distance to a branch point and the direction in which to travel.

The adjustment of the sound volume level in the present invention isapplicable not only to the guidance of a travel route, but also, where anavigation apparatus incorporates an audio or video system such as a CDplayer or television monitor, to the sounds thereof.

The present invention is applicable not only to portable navigationsystems that can also be used by walkers, but also to car-mounted onesthat can be transported from one car to another.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, by registering beforehand the settings to be used toguide along a travel route, i.e., the settings of the distance to abranch point at which to start guidance, the sound volume level, whetheror not to perform map matching, etc., for different modes of travel ofthe apparatus, it is no longer necessary to make those settingsindividually at the start of use.

Moreover, since the setting of whether or not to perform map matching isregistered beforehand for each of different modes of travel of theapparatus, even in a case where the apparatus is frequency mounted onand dismounted from a car, it is not necessary to connect and disconnectan external power source every time the apparatus is mounted on anddismounted from the car.

Furthermore, by transmitting the entered mode of traveling to theprovider of the VICS service and thereby registering the vehicle type,the user can make settings for the guidance of a travel route andsimultaneously register the vehicle type.

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A navigation apparatus comprising: map informationstoring means for storing map information; and controlling means forperforming map matching to find a current position in roads stored bythe map information storing means, the navigation apparatus furthercomprising; storing means for storing a plurality of modes of travelingin which the navigation apparatus can travel and, for each of thosemodes of traveling, whether or not to perform map matching, wherein thecontrolling means performs map matching when a mode of travelingselected by inputting means for selecting from the plurality of modes oftraveling is traveling by car or by motor bicycle, and does not performmap matching when the mode of traveling selected by the inputting meansis traveling by bicycle or on foot.